Ezekiel 5:3 - Judgment Against Jerusalem

Audio Bible

Context

Judgment Against Jerusalem
…2When the days of the siege have ended, you are to burn up a third of the hair inside the city; you are also to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind. For I will unleash a sword behind them. 3But you are to take a few strands of hair and secure them in the folds of your garment. 4Again, take a few of these, throw them into the fire, and burn them. From there a fire will spread to the whole house of Israel.…

Cross References

Jeremiah 24:5-7
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. / I will keep My eyes on them for good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. / I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.Zechariah 13:8-9
And in all the land, declares the LORD, two-thirds will be cut off and perish, but a third will be left in it. / This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”Isaiah 6:13
And though a tenth remains in the land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”Amos 9:8-9
Surely the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth. Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the LORD. / “For surely I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the ground.Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”Isaiah 1:9
Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.Romans 11:5
In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.Isaiah 10:20-22
On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. / A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God. / Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.Jeremiah 46:28
And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid, declares the LORD, for I am with you. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have banished you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”Romans 9:27-29
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. / For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively.” / It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”Zephaniah 3:12-13
But I will leave within you a meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the LORD. / The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. But they will feed and lie down, with no one to make them tremble.”Isaiah 37:31-32
And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above. / For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.Jeremiah 31:7
For this is what the LORD says: “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations! Make your praises heard, and say, ‘O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!’Micah 5:7-8
Then the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind. / Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, with no one to rescue them.Romans 11:26-27
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. / And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

2 Kings 25:12
But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

Jeremiah 39:10
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

Jeremiah 40:6
Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.

skirts [heb] wings

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Ezekiel 5

But you are to take a few strands of hair
In this passage, Ezekiel is instructed to take a few strands of hair, symbolizing a remnant. Throughout the Bible, the concept of a remnant is significant, often representing those who remain faithful to God amidst widespread unfaithfulness. This idea is echoed in passages like Isaiah 10:20-22, where a remnant of Israel returns to God. The act of taking a few strands signifies God's mercy and the preservation of a faithful group despite impending judgment.

and secure them in the folds of your garment.
Securing the strands in the folds of a garment suggests protection and care. In ancient Near Eastern culture, garments were often used to carry and protect valuable items, indicating the preciousness of the remnant. This imagery can be connected to the protective nature of God, as seen in Psalm 91:4, where God covers His people with His feathers. Additionally, the garment can symbolize righteousness, as in Isaiah 61:10, where garments of salvation and robes of righteousness are mentioned. This act foreshadows the ultimate protection and salvation found in Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of God's promise to preserve a faithful remnant.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Ezekiel
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. He is known for his symbolic actions and visions.

2. Jerusalem
The city that is the focal point of Ezekiel's prophecies, representing the spiritual and physical center of the Israelites.

3. Babylonian Exile
The period during which the Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonians, serving as a backdrop for Ezekiel's prophecies.

4. Symbolic Action
Ezekiel's act of taking a few strands of hair and securing them in his garment symbolizes God's preservation of a remnant of His people.

Teaching Points

God's Faithfulness to Preserve a Remnant
Despite judgment, God remains faithful to His covenant by preserving a remnant, symbolized by the few strands of hair. This teaches us about God's unwavering commitment to His promises.

Symbolism in Prophetic Actions
Ezekiel's actions are rich in symbolism, reminding us to seek deeper spiritual truths in God's Word and to understand His messages beyond the literal.

Hope Amidst Judgment
The preservation of a remnant offers hope that God’s plans for His people include restoration and redemption, even when facing severe consequences for sin.

Personal Reflection on Being Part of the Remnant
Believers are encouraged to reflect on their own faithfulness and commitment to God, aspiring to be part of the remnant that remains true to Him.

The Importance of Obedience
Ezekiel's obedience in performing symbolic acts underscores the importance of following God's instructions, even when they seem unusual or challenging.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 5How do other biblical passages reconcile or contradict Leviticus 21's strict requirements for priestly purity and appearance?In Ezekiel 5:2-4, does the command to burn, scatter, and bind hair contradict other biblical teachings on ritual purity or symbolism?Why does Numbers 8:7 require shaving the entire body for purification, and is there any archaeological evidence of this practice?In Isaiah 51:6, the text claims the earth and heavens will vanish like smoke or a garment; how does this align with our current scientific understanding of cosmic processes?

(3) A few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.--A small remnant of the people was still left in the land after the great captivity (2Kings 25:22); but even of these some were to perish by violence ("cast them into the midst of the fire") in the disorders which arose, and from this "shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel." (See Jeremiah 40, 41) The ultimate result was the expatriation of all that remained in Judaea, and the entire emptying of the land of the chosen people.

At this point the use of symbolism ceases for a while, and the prophet now, for the first time, begins to utter his prophecies in plain language. Accordingly, he changes his style from prose to the more ordinary form of prophetic utterance in parallelisms, which constitute the distinctive feature of Hebrew poetry, and this continues until another vision begins with Ezekiel 8.

Verses 3, 4. - Thou shalt also take, etc. The words may point

(1) either to those in Jerusalem who had escaped the famine and the sword, and were left in the land (2 Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 40:6; Jeremiah 40:6); or

(2) to those who should go into exile, and yet even there suffer from the "fire" of God's chastening judgments. They were, if saved at all, to be saved "so as by fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15), to be as "brands plucked from the burning" (Amos 4:11; Zechariah 3:2). Isaiah's thought of the "remnant" (Isaiah 10:20-22; Isaiah 11:11-16) seems hardly to come in here. The whole utterance is one of denunciation. The act of "binding in the skirts" implies only a limited protection. Omit "for," and for "thereof" read "therefrom," s.c. from the fire (Revised Version). Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

But you are to take
וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ (wə·lā·qaḥ·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

a few
מְעַ֣ט (mə·‘aṭ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 4592: A little, fewness, a few

strands of hair
בְּמִסְפָּ֑ר (bə·mis·pār)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4557: A number, definite, indefinite, narration

and secure
וְצַרְתָּ֥ (wə·ṣar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6696: To confine, bind, besiege

them
אוֹתָ֖ם (’ō·w·ṯām)
Direct object marker | third person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

in the folds of your garment.
בִּכְנָפֶֽיךָ׃ (biḵ·nā·p̄e·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3671: An edge, extremity, a wing, a flap, a quarter, a pinnacle

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Ezekiel 5:3 Catholic BibleOT Prophets: Ezekiel 5:3 You shall take of it a few (Ezek. Eze Ezk)